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Reporters Without Borders has recently condemned the "judicial harassment" of the news media in Algeria after 13 journalists appeared before the Sidi M'Hamed court in Algiers in the space of 24 hours on charges for which they face six months to a year in prison.

These trials reflect a situation that has prevailed throughout 2004, an especially hard year for the news media in Algeria, the Paris-based group said. Dozens of journalists have received judicial summonses as a result of defamation complaints by the authorities. Threats, censorship, denial of press accreditation, arrests and prison sentences have become their daily lot, it added.